MAC protocol classification in the ISM band using machine learning methods

TL;DR

This paper applies machine learning techniques, specifically SVM and KNN, to classify Wi-Fi and Bluetooth protocols in the crowded 2.4 GHz ISM band, achieving over 97% accuracy for better spectrum management.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach using real-world data and deep learning methods to classify MAC protocols in the ISM band, enhancing spectrum utilization and interference reduction.

Findings

SVM with RBF kernel achieved 97.83% accuracy

KNN achieved 98.12% accuracy

Effective classification under noisy conditions

Abstract

With the emergence of new technologies and a growing number of wireless networks, we face the problem of radio spectrum shortages. As a result, identifying the wireless channel spectrum to exploit the channel's idle state while also boosting network security is a pivotal issue. Detecting and classifying protocols in the MAC sublayer enables Cognitive Radio users to improve spectrum utilization and minimize potential interference. In this paper, we classify the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth protocols, which are the most widely used MAC sublayer protocols in the ISM radio band. With the advent of various wireless technologies, especially in the 2.4 GHz frequency band, the ISM frequency spectrum has become crowded and high-traffic, which faces a lack of spectrum resources and user interference. Therefore, identifying and classifying protocols is an effective and useful method. Leveraging machine learning and deep learning techniques, known for their advanced classification capabilities, we apply Support Vector Machine and K-Nearest Neighbors algorithms, which are machine learning algorithms, to classify protocols into three classes: Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Beacon, and Bluetooth. To capture the signals, we use the USRP N210 Software Defined Radio device and sample the real data in the indoor environment in different conditions of the presence and absence of transmitters and receivers for these two protocols. By assembling this dataset and studying the time and frequency features of the protocols, we extract the frame width and the silence gap between the two frames as time features and the PAPR of each frame as a power feature. By comparing the output of the protocols classification in different conditions and also adding Gaussian noise, it was found that the samples in the nonlinear SVM method with RBF and KNN functions have the best performance, with 97.83% and 98.12% classification accuracy, respectively.